It was supposed to be filled with church goers and revelers celebrating Christmas, but the streets of Jos, the capital city of Plateau State Saturday resembles that a ghost town as residents of the town mostly stayed indoors a day after a series of bombs went off across the city, maiming hundreds and killing tens of people.
At least three bomb blasts, which occurred in different locations late Friday night in Jos , caught people out shopping or returning home with their minds on Saturday's festivities. The blasts occurred at Amigo Junction, Angwan Rukuba and Gada Biu, all suburbs in Jos North LGA.
Most of the victims were commuters caught in the heavy traffic hold-ups as security agents were conducting search on vehicles plying the routes where the blasts happened.
Unconfirmed reports say about 40 people have died, either in the immediate blasts or of injuries sustained in them. Hundreds of others who sustained injuries are being treated in hospitals such as Our Lady of Apostles (OLA), Plateau State Specialist Hospital and Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). Corpses of those killed were deposited in the morgues.
Spokesperson for the Special Task Force (STF), Capt. Charles Nweocha, confirmed the blasts and described them "as very serious", but gave no further details.
The tragedy was also confirmed by James Mannok, Director of Press Affairs to Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang. He said government was taking care of the victims.
Businesses and markets remain closed in the town as wary residents keep to the safety of their homes.
A resident, Baba Haruna, described the feeling as eerie.
"The enemies of Jos have refused to give the town a rest and now they have introduced bombs into the crisis. I have never seen anything like this. People were still moving around during the last fighting, but the streets are totally deserted now. People are in shock and scared," Mr Haruna said.
Hundreds of lives and property worth millions of naira have been lost in a long crisis in and around Jos since crisis erupted in the area on November 28, 2008 over a local council election.
After the last violence, a military task force was deployed to enforce peace in the town and this has put a dampener on the worst atrocities, although occasional tit-for-tat attacks between the feuding ethnic groups still occur. Mr Mannok however said it is too early to say if the bomb attacks are linked to the lingering conflict.
There is great need to curtail the excess of these Military Troops. Most of them are opportunist..
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